JP6149484B2 - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor device.

  In a factory production line, a conveyor device is used as a means for conveying a workpiece. In the conveyor device, for example, rollers that support a workpiece from below are arranged in two rows along the workpiece conveyance direction. The rotation axis of each roller is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the workpiece, and conveys the workpiece in a desired direction by utilizing the rotation of the roller and the inclination of the conveyance line of the conveyor device.

  Here, in the conventional conveyor device, the conveying line is inclined, the rotation shafts of some of the two rows of rollers are arranged obliquely with respect to the workpiece conveying direction, and the movement of the workpiece is braked. There is something configured.

  Further, the conventional conveyor apparatus has a storage line for taking out the workpiece in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction in the middle of the main transport line, and has a supply means for centering the workpiece supplied from the main transport line to the storage line. There is something. The supply means has two right and left rollers, and the right roller group and the left roller group are respectively inclined at a predetermined angle by a predetermined angle. The inclination angle is α ° (α ° <90 °) with respect to the central axis of the supply means, and by centering the workpiece being transferred, the workpiece is prevented from jumping out of the transfer line. Yes.

  As another example of conveying the workpiece while centering, there is one in which a pair of rollers each having two rollers is arranged at equal intervals in the conveying direction. In the roller pair, the upstream roller is inclined by + θ ° with respect to the axis orthogonal to the conveying direction. The downstream roller is inclined by −θ ° with respect to an axis orthogonal to the transport direction.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-106608 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-63619 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-40408

  Here, in a conveyor apparatus, a workpiece | work may be delivered between the conveyance lines from which an inclination angle differs. In this case, if only the rollers are arranged in the transport line on the receiving side, the work enters the front end of the work into the gap between two rollers adjacent in the transport direction, and then the work that the work rides on the next roller occurs continuously. Impact is applied to the workpiece. In addition, the work sometimes stops in the process where the work rides on a plurality of rollers.

  Further, if the guide plate is attached to the receiving side portion of the transport line so as to cover the roller, the guide plate eliminates the gap between the rollers, so that the impact received by the workpiece is reduced. However, since the contact resistance between the workpiece and the guide plate is large, wear powder is likely to be generated. Further, since the contact resistance between the workpiece and the guide plate is large, the workpiece is likely to stop halfway.

These problems are difficult to solve sufficiently even if the number of rollers is simply increased or the area of the guide plate is reduced.
This invention is made in view of such a situation, and it aims at preventing the impact at the time of delivering a workpiece | work with the conveyance line from which an inclination angle differs, and generation | occurrence | production of abrasion powder.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, the plurality of side rollers are arranged in the workpiece conveyance direction, and the rotation shafts are arranged in parallel to the direction orthogonal to the workpiece conveyance direction, and the upper ends of the plurality of side rollers are defined. A cross roller provided at a connecting portion that receives the workpiece that is input at an inclination angle different from the conveyance surface of the workpiece, and has an upper end disposed at a height that coincides with the conveyance surface, and the cross roller includes: It arranged parallel to the conveying surface of the workpiece, and a first roller which have a rotation axis which is inclined to the conveying direction of the workpiece, are arranged in parallel with the conveying surface of the workpiece, and the first rotary shaft is set to an angle intersecting the roller, pre SL and a second roller which are a pair arranged across the first roller, the first roller, the upstream end of the conveying direction of the workpiece From the department Between the upper ends of two adjacent side rollers of the side rollers, the length of which is the length to the end on the flow side and the length of the component parallel to the workpiece conveyance direction is arranged in the workpiece conveyance direction A length from the upstream end of the second roller upstream of the workpiece conveying direction to the downstream end of the second roller downstream, and The length of the component parallel to the workpiece conveyance direction is longer than the distance between the upper ends of two adjacent side rollers among the side rollers arranged in the workpiece conveyance direction. Provided.

  The cross roller can reduce the impact generated between the workpiece and the side roller, and the friction between the workpiece and the workpiece can be reduced by the rotation of the cross roller.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a schematic configuration of an inspection apparatus including a conveyor apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the inspection apparatus including the conveyor device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged view when the transfer unit is inclined. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of the schematic configuration of the inspection apparatus including the conveyor device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an inspection apparatus including a conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrating a connecting portion. FIG. 5: is an enlarged view explaining an example of the process of delivering the pallet which mounted the workpiece | work in the inspection apparatus containing the conveyor apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention (the 1). FIG. 6: is an enlarged view explaining an example of the process of delivering the pallet which mounted the workpiece | work in the inspection apparatus containing the conveyor apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention (the 2). FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the action of the cross roller in the inspection apparatus including the conveyor device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not intended to limit the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an inspection apparatus having a conveyor device.
The inspection apparatus 1 has a main frame 2 installed on a floor surface or the like, and a loading unit 3 for loading a workpiece W and a loading unit 4 for unloading the workpiece W are sequentially arranged at one upper end side of the main frame 2. Are arranged. Further, an inspection unit 5 for inspecting the workpiece W is arranged on the other end side of the upper part of the main frame 2. In addition, a conveyor device 10 that conveys the workpiece W from the carry-in unit 3 to the carry-out unit 4 through the inspection unit 5 is fixed to the main frame 2. The workpiece W is mounted on the pallet 6 and conveyed by the conveyor device 10. Further, the inspection device 1 includes a control device 7 that controls conveyance and inspection of the workpiece W and a drive device 8 that drives the conveyor device 10. The workpiece W is an inspection object in the inspection unit 5 and a conveyance object in the conveyor device 10, and is a precision machine such as a mobile phone, for example. Further, the pallet 6 is provided with one concave portion on which the workpiece W can be positioned and placed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor device 10 is provided in a carry-in unit 3 and a first carrying line 11 laid in parallel on the upper part of the main frame 2 as a carrying line for carrying the pallet 6 on which the workpiece W is placed. The transfer part 12 is provided. Furthermore, the conveyor device 10 raises the pallet 6 from the lower end of the second transfer line 13 to the first transfer line 11, and the second transfer line 13 that is laid at an angle below the first transfer line 11. And a lifting device 14 to be moved.

  The first transport line 11 has a pair of frames 20 extending along the transport direction. Between the pair of frames 20, a roller (not shown) transports the pallet 6 and the workpiece W (hereinafter simply referred to as the pallet 6). Are arranged at equal intervals in the conveying direction). The rotation shaft of each roller is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the pallet 6. Each roller is rotatably supported on the frame 20 by a bearing (not shown), and can be driven to rotate in the same direction by the driving device 8. Here, the plurality of rollers may be arranged in a line along the conveying direction, or may be arranged in two or more lines.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer unit 12 includes a transport unit 21 that transports the pallet 6 and an inclination mechanism 22 that tilts the transport unit 21. The transport unit 21 includes a pair of rails 23 and a plurality of rollers 24 as in the first transport line 11. The rollers 24 of the transfer unit 12 are arranged along the conveying direction of the pallet 6, but are not connected to the driving device 8. One end of the transport unit 21 is supported by the main frame 2 so as to be rotatable by a pin 23. Furthermore, an inclination mechanism 22 is connected to the bottom of the transport unit 21. The tilting mechanism 22 includes a cylinder 25 that is rotatably supported by the main frame 2 with a pin 24. A support plate 27 is rotatably connected to a tip end portion of a rod 25 </ b> A extending from the cylinder 25 by a pin 26. The support plate 27 is fixed to the bottom of the transport unit 21.

  Moreover, as for the 2nd conveyance line 13, the transfer part 12 side is arrange | positioned at the upper side, and the raising / lowering apparatus 14 side is arrange | positioned at the lower side. And the transfer part 12 side becomes the transfer part (upstream side) which receives the workpiece | work W, and the raising / lowering apparatus 14 side is the delivery part (downstream side) which delivers the workpiece | work W. As for the 2nd conveyance line 13, the flame | frame 31 which covers a bottom part and a side part is extended along the conveyance direction d1 of the pallet 6. As shown in FIG. Further, the frame 31 is fixed to the main frame 2 at a predetermined inclination angle.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 2 showing the upstream side of the second conveyance line 13 in an enlarged manner, in the second conveyance line 13, a roller array along each side portion 31 </ b> B of the frame 31. 34 are provided one by one. The roller row 34 includes a substantially U-shaped support portion 35 extending in the transport direction, and a plurality of side rollers 36 that are rotatably attached to the support portion 35 via bearings (not shown). The rotation axis of each side roller 36 is arranged in parallel to the width direction d2 orthogonal to the conveyance direction d1 of the pallet 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the plane passing through the upper end of each side roller 36 becomes the conveyance surface Hc of the pallet 6. Since the second conveyance line 13 conveys the workpiece W using the inclination, each side roller 36 is not connected to the driving device 8. However, the side roller 36 may be connected to the driving device 8 and driven to rotate based on a command from the control device 7.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the inclination angle of the second transport line 13 is smaller than the inclination angle when the transfer unit 12 is inclined. For example, the inclination angle of the transfer unit 12, that is, the inclination angle of the conveyance surface Hb of the pallet 6 passing through the upper end of the roller 24 of the transfer unit 12 with respect to the horizontal plane is 20 °. On the other hand, the inclination angle of the second conveyance line, that is, the inclination angle of the conveyance surface Hc with respect to the horizontal plane is set to 7 °. In addition, the inclination angle of each conveyance surface Hb and Hc is not limited to this example.

  Further, as shown in the plan views of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a cross roller 41 is installed on the transfer portion 12 on the upstream side in the transport direction d1 of the second transport line 13. Yes. The cross roller 41 includes two roller rows 34, that is, a first roller 42 that is inclined with respect to the conveyance direction d1 of the pallet 6 and a pair of second rollers that are arranged with the first roller 42 interposed therebetween. And a roller 43. The upstream end portions of the first and second rollers 42 and 43 are disposed at substantially the same position as the most upstream side roller 34 of the two roller rows 34 or upstream thereof.

  Each of the rollers 42 and 43 is rotatably supported with respect to the frame 31 by a bearing (not shown) embedded in the support piece 44. Further, the length of the second roller 43 is shorter than that of the first roller 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the crossing angle α between the rotation axis of the second roller 43 and the rotation axis of the first roller 42 is 90 ° or less, and the first and second rollers 42 and 43 are , Arranged in a cross in plan view. Accordingly, the angles β and γ formed by the conveyance direction d1 and the two types of rollers 42 and 43 become 45 ° or more, respectively. Further, the point where the rotation axes of the two types of rollers 42 and 43 intersect is disposed on a line passing through the center of the second conveyance line 13 in the width direction d2.

  Further, the height from the frame 31 to the upper ends of the rollers 42 and 43 of the cross roller 41 is equal to the height from the frame 31 to the upper ends of the side rollers 36 of the roller row 34 and coincides with the transport surface Hc. For this reason, when the pallet 6 is placed on the second conveying line 13, the rollers 42 and 43 of the cross roller 41 and the side roller 36 of the roller row 34 both come into contact with the bottom surface of the pallet 6. Note that the height of the cross roller 41 may be set higher than that of the side roller 36.

  Further, the width Lc of the cross roller 41 in the transport direction is substantially equal to the length Lp of the pallet 6 in the transport direction. More specifically, the length of the first roller 42 in the conveyance direction d1 is the length s1 of each side roller 36 in the roller row 34 in the conveyance direction d1, that is, the distance between the upper ends of two adjacent side rollers 36. Large and substantially equal to the length Lp of the pallet 6 in the conveying direction. The length of each second roller 42 in the transport direction d1 is greater than the length s1 of each side roller 36 of the roller row 34 in the transport direction d1. Further, the distance in the transport direction d1 between the upstream end of the upstream second roller 42 and the downstream end of the downstream second roller 42 is the length of the pallet 6 in the transport direction. It is approximately equal to Lp. In addition, when the workpiece | work W is conveyed by the conveyor apparatus 10 without being mounted in the pallet 6, length Lp becomes the length of the conveyance direction of the workpiece | work W. FIG.

  By making the length in the transport direction of the rollers 42 and 43 of the cross roller 41 equal to or longer than the length s1 in the transport direction of the side roller 36, the gap 36A between the two side rollers 36 adjacent in the transport direction d1 is filled. Since the rollers 42 and 43 can be arranged, the conveyance surface Hc defined by the upper end of the side roller 36 and the line on which the pallet 6 actually moves can be matched in at least one gap 36A. It becomes possible. Furthermore, if the width Lc in the transport direction of the cross roller 41 is set to 2/3 or more of the length Lp in the transport direction of the pallet 6, the transport surface Hc and the line on which the pallet 6 actually moves over the plurality of gaps 36A Can be made to coincide with each other, so that the impact at the time of delivery of the pallet 6 can be reduced. Then, by making the width Lc in the transport direction of the cross roller 41 substantially equal to the length Lp in the transport direction of the pallet 6, until the pallet 6 completes the transfer from the transfer unit 12 to the second transport path 12. Since the conveyance surface Hc and the line on which the pallet 6 actually moves can be matched, the impact when the pallet 6 is delivered can be greatly reduced.

  Moreover, the raising / lowering apparatus 14 shown in FIG. 1 has the mounting part 51 which mounts the pallet 6, and the raising / lowering mechanism 52 which raises / lowers the mounting part 51. As shown in FIG. The placement unit 51 includes a roller (not shown) as in the first transport line 11. The roller is connected to the driving device 8 and can be rotationally driven.

Next, the operation of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described.
When throwing in the workpiece W, the control device 7 outputs a drive command to the drive device 8 to rotate the rollers of the first transfer line 11 and move the empty pallet 6 to the carry-in portion 3 of the transfer unit 12. Let In this state, the workpiece W is placed on the concave portion of the pallet 6 of the carry-in unit 3 using a transfer device such as a robot arm (not shown). Thereafter, the tilt mechanism 22 of the transfer unit 12 pulls back the rod 25 </ b> A based on a command from the control device 7, thereby shortening the overall length of the cylinder 25. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 25 rotates around the pin 24 and the support plate 27 connected to the rod 25A is lowered. Since the mounting portion 21 is fixed to the support plate 27, the mounting portion 21 rotates around the pin 23 and tilts. As a result, the pallet 6 starts to move due to gravity, and the workpiece W is transferred to the second transfer line 13.

  At this time, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, the pallet 6 is placed on the two rows of side rollers 36 and the cross roller 41 of the second conveyance line 13. Since the second conveyance line 13 is inclined, the pallet 6 moves on the second conveyance line 13. At this time, the pallet 6 moves so that the bottom surface contacts the cross roller 41 and slides on the cross roller 41. Accordingly, the tip of the pallet 6 does not fall below the upper surface of the side roller 36 on the side, and the tip of the pallet 6 can be prevented from entering the gap 36A of the side roller 36. For this reason, it does not bump against the tip of the pallet 6 and the side rollers 36 on the side, and the impact applied to the pallet 6 is reduced. Here, in this embodiment, the length Lc of the cross roller 41 has a length substantially equal to the length Lp of the pallet 6. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the pallet 6 and the side roller 36 on the side can be prevented from abutting until the pallet 6 is completely transferred from the transfer unit 12 to the second transport line 13.

  Further, the first roller 42 and the second roller 43 of the cross roller 41 are rotated to reduce the friction generated between the pallet 6 and the second transport line 13. For example, when the cross roller 41 is a member fixed to the frame 31, friction occurs when the pallet 6 slides on the fixed member, but the rollers 42 and 43 rotate in the cross roller 41. As a result, the friction with the pallet 6 is reduced, so that the generation of wear powder is kept to a minimum.

  Here, as schematically shown in FIG. 7, the pallet 6 is transported by sliding the pallet 6 on the two types of rollers 42 and 43 as indicated by the arrows AR <b> 1 and AR <b> 2. The generated slip component and the rotation component that conveys the pallet 6 are generated by the rotation of the two types of rollers 42 and 43 as indicated by the arrows AR3 and AR4. Here, for example, when the rollers 42 and 43 do not rotate, the slip component indicated by the arrows AR1 and AR2 becomes dominant, so that wear easily occurs between the rollers 42 and 43 and the pallet 6. On the other hand, in the cross roller 41, when the rollers 42 and 43 are rotated, the rotation components indicated by the arrows AR3 and AR4 are generated, so that the slip components indicated by the arrows AR1 and AR2 are relatively reduced. , 43 and the pallet 6 are reduced in friction.

  As described above, in the conveyor apparatus 10 provided in the inspection apparatus 1, since the cross roller 41 is provided in the connecting portion of the inclined second conveyance line 13, only the left and right side rollers 36 are provided. Since the contact portion with the pallet 6 can be increased with respect to the configuration having the pallet 6, delivery of the pallet 6 can be stabilized. Further, since the length Lc of the cross roller 41 is set to 2/3 or more of the length Lp of the pallet 6 and preferably substantially the same length, the unevenness at the connecting point is eliminated, and the impact received by the pallet 6 can be reduced. . Furthermore, since the two rollers 42 and 43 rotate in the cross roller 41, friction between the pallet 6 and the cross roller 41 is reduced, and generation of wear powder can be greatly reduced. Here, if the rotation axes of the rollers 42 and 43 of the cross roller 41 are made to intersect at 90 ° or less, it becomes possible to reduce the slip component by bringing the rollers 42 and 43 closer to the position perpendicular to the transport direction d1. Therefore, wear due to the rollers 42 and 43 can be suppressed. In addition, the rotation axes of the two types of rollers 42 and 43 of the cross roller 41 are arranged so as to be symmetric with respect to the center of the second transport line 13, so that meandering of the pallet 6 can be prevented.

  In addition, the conveyor apparatus 10 may be comprised independently and may be integrated in apparatuses other than the inspection apparatus 1. FIG. Further, when the workpiece W is transported without using the pallet 6, the friction between the workpiece W and the cross roller 41 is reduced, and the impact acting on the workpiece W is reduced.

  All examples and conditional expressions given here are intended to help the reader understand the inventions and concepts that have contributed to the promotion of technology, and such examples and It is to be construed without being limited to the conditions, and the organization of such examples in the specification is not related to showing the superiority or inferiority of the invention. While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions and variations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection apparatus 6 Pallet 36 Side roller 41 Cross roller 42 1st roller 43 2nd roller Hc Conveyance surface Lc Length of cross roller Lp Length of pallet (length of workpiece conveyance direction)
W Work

Claims (4)

A plurality of side rollers that are arranged in the workpiece conveyance direction and whose rotation axis is set in parallel to the direction orthogonal to the workpiece conveyance direction ;
A cross roller provided at a connecting portion that receives the workpiece that is thrown at an inclination angle different from the workpiece conveying surface defined by the upper ends of the plurality of side rollers, and the upper end is disposed at a height that coincides with the conveying surface When,
Including
It said cross roller includes a first roller which have a said arranged parallel to the conveying surface of the workpiece, and the rotation axis is inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the workpiece,
Wherein arranged parallel to the conveying surface of the workpiece, and the rotary shaft is set to an angle intersecting the first roller, and a second roller which are a pair arranged across the front Symbol first roller,
The first roller has a length from an upstream end to a downstream end in the workpiece conveyance direction, and a length of a component parallel to the workpiece conveyance direction is equal to the workpiece conveyance direction. Longer than the distance between the upper ends of two adjacent side rollers of the side rollers arranged,
The length from the upstream end of the second roller upstream of the workpiece transport direction to the downstream end of the second roller downstream, and in the workpiece transport direction The length of the parallel component is longer than the distance between the upper ends of two adjacent side rollers among the side rollers arranged in the conveying direction of the workpiece . The angle formed by each of the rotation axis of the first roller and the rotation axis of the second roller and an imaginary line parallel to the conveyance direction of the workpiece is 45 ° or more. Conveyor device. The distance from the upstream end portion to the downstream end portion of the first roller in the workpiece conveyance direction, and the second end portion downstream from the upstream end portion of the upstream second roller. The conveyor device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the distances to the downstream end of the roller is equal to the length of the workpiece in the transport direction . The upstream end of the second roller in the workpiece conveying direction is equal to the upstream end of the first roller,
4. The downstream end of the second roller in the workpiece conveyance direction and the downstream end of the first roller are equal to each other. 5. The conveyor apparatus of description.

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